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In the afternoon of the ad of February, there was the 
bight ft fiood in the Thames that ever was known. Above 
Weiiminfier-bridgc-, it overflowed the banks on both (ides. 
It was near two leet .deep in Palace-yard ; and ran into 
Weft minder-hail, fo as to prevent people from pafting 
for two hours. Boats came through the paflage from 
Old P.tlace-yard to the Thames, and rowed up to Weft- 
ntinfter-h.til gate. The inhabitants of Milbank-ftreet 
were conveyed to and from their houfes in boats. The 
two Scotland-yards, and Privy-Gardens, were entirely 
under water, and unpalfable in many places, for feme 
hours. The damage, done in the warehoufes on the wharfs 
was itnmenfe ; they were overflowed, almoft without ex¬ 
ception. The Water rote above the Cnftom-houfe quay, 
Tower-wharf, Banklids, Queenhithe, Wapping High- 
ftreet, Thames-ftreet, Toolty-ftreet, &c. and filled all the 
adjoining cellars ; and molt of the gardens and fields, be¬ 
tween Blackfriars-road and Weltminfter-bridge, were 
overflowed. 
On the night of the 30th of May, there was an alarm¬ 
ing infurreftion in the King’s Bench prifon ; an attempt 
being made by the greater part of the prifoners to efcape. 
Much mifehief was done to the inner part of the building; 
and the outer door would have been forced, had not a 
party ol horfe and foot arrived, very opportunely, to re- 
ftore order, which they eflefted, happily without blood- 
fhed, before eleven o’clock. The principals in this riot 
were removed to Newgate on the following day. 
The long-depending caufe between the magiftrates of 
Surry and the city of London, was argued before the 
court of King’s Bench, on the 19th of November, on a 
fpecial verdift. The facts were, that a general meeting 
of the juftices of Surry had been held on the 4th of 
September, for the purpofe of granting licenfes to pub¬ 
licans ; that the magiftrates of London did not attend this 
meeting, but met on a lublequent day, and granted li¬ 
cenfes to certain publicans who had been refufed them 
by the juftices of Surry. For this conduft the magiftrates 
ot London were indifted, and the queilion for the deck 
fion of the court was, “ Whether the city of London had 
an cxdufive jurifdiction to grant licenfes in the borough 
of Southwark, or ppffefled only a concurrent jurifdiftion 
with the juftices of Surry ?” After the cafe had been ar¬ 
gued on both fides, the court determined, that the city of 
London had not an exclufive, but a concurrent, juri(dic¬ 
tion, and therefore had acted illegally. This queftion 
was therefore determined againft the city. 
Between one ami two o’clock in the morning of the 14th 
of January, 1792, a fire broke out in> one of the new 
buildings which had been added to the Pantheon, to en¬ 
large it fufficiently for the performance of operas. Before 
any engines reached the fpot, the fire had got to fuch a 
height, that all attempts to lave the building were in vain. 
The flames, owing to the feenery, oil, paint, and other 
combuftible matter in the houfe, were tremendous, and fo 
rapid in their progrefs, that not a'fingle article could be 
laved. Fortunately, the height of the walls prevented 
the conflagration froin fpreading to the adjoiningbuildings. 
An attempt was made to fet the houfe of commons on 
fire on the 9th of May, which was happily rendered abor¬ 
tive by the diligence of the watchman of the houfe. On 
perceiving a fmell of fometliing burning, he communi¬ 
cated his fufpicions to Mr. Bellamy, who cauftul a fearch 
to be made, and found the ceiling of a vvater-clofct, im¬ 
mediately under the houfe, had been broken, and a pair 
.of worded breeches, duffed with combuftible matter, 
burning between the joifts. But for this providential dif- 
covery, it is probable that both houfes of parliament, with 
the whole of Weftminfter-ball and the Court of P.equefts, 
wopld, from the quantity and drynefs of the timber con¬ 
tained in them, have fallen a facrifice to this deftruftive 
clement. 
A very dangerous riot took place on the 5th of this 
month, in Mount-ftreet, Grofvenor-fquare, occalioned by 
the apprehenficn of a number of ftvvants who had 3I- 
D O N. 
fembled at a public houfe in the neighbourhood to make 
merry on the king’s birth-night, by a dance. On the fol¬ 
lowing morning, a mob aflembled in front of the watch- 
houfe, and demanded their releale; which not being com¬ 
plied with, they broke the windows. In the mean time 
forne magiftrates met at the watch-houfe, and examined 
the fervants, all of whom were difeharged, except fix, in¬ 
cluding the publican and the fiddler. The mob continuing 
to increafe, the military were fenr for; and, the riot-ait 
being read, the crowd difperfed. Tranquillity appearing 
to be reftored, the foldiers were ordered away in the after¬ 
noon. In the evening the mob aflembled again, and at¬ 
tacked the watch-houfe, which they broke into, and began 
to demolifi), throwing the benches and furniture into the 
ftreet. A party of guards reached the fpot in time to 
prevent the total deftrtiftion of it, but had much diffi¬ 
culty to difperfe the rabble, who proceeded immediately 
to the attack of a houfe in Aud.ley-ftreet, belonging to 
one of the conftables, where it was aifo neceffary to re¬ 
quire the afliftance of the military, to prevent mifehief. 
Happily the tumult ended here without bloodftiecl; for 
thofe who aflembled on the following day appeared to 
have no motive but curiofity, to fee the devaltation of the 
former night. 
It had been long acknowledged that fome reformation 
in the police of Weftminfter u'as wanted, though the mode 
of eflefting it, fo as to unite general fecurity with gene¬ 
ral liberty, had not been hit upon. With a view to ac- 
complilh this moll difficult of the labours of flegiflation, 
a bill was introduced into parliament, early in the month 
of March, in purluance of which, regular offices were to 
be eftablifned for the adminiftration of that branch of 
juftice, which falls within the jurifdiftion of a juflice <?f 
peace. Three juftices to be appointed to each office, wirh 
fixed falaries, and the fees taken in all the offices to be 
confolidated in one fund, for the payment of them ; and, 
to annihilate that reproach to the magiftracy, known by 
the name of trading jujiices, no perlon in the commiifion 
of the peace was to receive any fees except at the eita- 
t> 1 ifiled offices. Some oppofition was made to this bill in 
its progrefs ; but, as it was only piopofed for an experi¬ 
ment, being limited in its duration, and parliament would 
be enabled to judge of its expediency at the expiration 
of the term, and continue it'or not as the refult ihould 
warrant, it was palled. The aft was carried into execu¬ 
tion, on the nil of Auguft, being extended to the other 
fuburbs of the metropolis; and the following offices 
were appointed : viz. Queen-fquare, Weftminfter ; Great 
Marlborough-llreet ; Hatton-garden ; Worlhip-ftreet, 
Shoreditch ; Lambeth-ftreet, Whitechapel ; High-ftreet, 
Shadwell ; and Union-ftreet, Southwark: all of which 
have been fince continued. The Bow-llrect office fub- 
fifted before ; and has now a kind of jurifdiftion over the 
reft. The Thames police-office, in Wapping-ftreet, lias 
been added fince, upon the fuggeftions of Mr. Colquhoun, 
a very active magilirate, and author of a Treatile on the 
Police of the Metropolis. This gentleman defines police 
to be the (yftem of regulations uled in any ftate for the 
prevention and detection of crimes, and thofe other func¬ 
tions which relate to the well-ordering and comfort of ci¬ 
vil fociety. According to this idea of police, it may truly 
befaid,that in this country it is of very novel inftitution ; 
and the backwardnefs of it is manifeft in the inlecurity 
not of property only, but it may be laid of even life it- 
felf. But why police, in this fenfe of the word, Ihould 
have been fo neglefted in a country which, for fo many 
ages, has been diliinguiftied from other European nations 
by unremitted attention to the acquifition and fecurity of 
political liberty, is not perhaps ealily to be explained ; 
fince it is indifputable that liberty itfelf is a bleflingof 
fnbordinate value, when unaccompanied by thofe regulat 
tions which proreft property and life from the violations 
to which both are liable in fociety, from the fraud, malice, 
and oppreflion, of individuals. It Ihould feem, indeed, as 
if that very jealoujy of the encroachments of paver and prero- 
gativt> 
